U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Lower Suwannee

and Cedar Keys

National Wildlife Refuges

Bird List
Cedar Keys National Wildlife

Refuge was established on July

16, 1929. It is located in the Gulf

of Mexico near the town of Cedar

Key, Florida. The islands that

comprise the refuge range in size

from 1 to 165 acres. Its founding

purpose was “as a refuge and

breeding ground for birds...”

Cedar Keys Refuge supports one

of the largest colonial bird

nesting sites in north Florida.

Lower Suwannee National

Wildlife Refuge was established

in 1979 with the objective of

preserving the Suwannee River

delta and estuary ecosystem.

This 53,000-acre refuge is

located in Levy and Dixie

Counties, Florida and serves as

an important feeding area for

the nesting birds of the Cedar

Keys Refuge.
Sp Spring, March - May

S Summer, June - August

F Fall, September - November

W Winter, December - February

a. abundant (a common species

which is very numerous)

c. common (certain to be seen in

suitable habitat)

u. uncommon (present but not

certain to be seen)

o. occasional (seen only a few times

during a season)

r. rare (seen at intervals of 2 to 5

years)

* nests on the refuge.

This checklist includes 255 species of

birds and is based on observations

by refuge personnel and

visiting ornithologists.

If you should find an

unlisted species, please

let us know at Refuge

Headquarters. We

appreciate your help

in updating our

records. On the

back page, an

additional 25

species are listed

which are

considered

accidental occurrence

to the refuge.

Seasonal

appearance

Seasonal

abundance

Thise Blue

Goose, designed

by J.N “Ding”

Darling,is the

symbol of the

National

Wildlife

Refuge

System.
SP S F W

Grebes

___Common Loon c r c c

___Horned Grebe u u u

___Pied-billed Grebe* cccc

Pelicans and Allies

___Magnificent Frigatebird ccco

___American White Pelican uuuu

___Double-crested Cormorant* aaaa

___Anhinga* cccc

___Brown Pelican* aaaa

Herons, Egrets and Allies

___American Bittern uuuu

___Least Bittern* u u u

___Great Blue Heron* cccc

___Great Egret* cccc

___Snowy Egret* cccc

___Little Blue Heron* cccc

___Tricolored Heron* cccc

___Cattle Egret* cccc

___Green Heron* cccu

___Black-crowned Night-Heron* cccc

___Yellow-crowned Night-Heron* c c u u

Ibises, Spoonbill, Stork

___White Ibis* aaaa

___Wood Stork uuuo

___Roseate Spoonbill u r

Waterfowl

___Tundra Swan r r

___Snow Goose r r

___Wood Duck* cccc

___Green-winged Teal u u u

___American Black Duck o o o

___Mottled Duck rrrr

___Mallard u u u

___Northern Pintail u u u

___Blue-winged Teal u u u

___Northern Shoveler u u u

___Gadwall u u u

___American Wigeon u u u

___Canvasback u u u

___Redhead u u u

___Ring-necked Duck u u u

___Greater Scaup r r r

___Lesser Scaup o o o

___Common Goldeneye o o o
SP S F W

___Bufflehead u u c

___Hooded Merganser c u u c

___Common Merganser r r r

___Ruddy Duck u o u

___Red-breasted Merganser c c c

Vultures, Hawks and Allies

___Black Vulture* cccc

___Turkey Vulture* cccc

___Osprey* cccc

___American Swallow-tailed Kite* c c u

___Bald Eagle* uuuu

___Northern Harrier u o u u

___Sharp-shinned Hawk u u u

___Cooper’s Hawk* uuuu

___Short-tailed Hawk o o o

___Broad-winged Hawk u u u

___Red-shouldered Hawk* cccc

___Red-tailed Hawk* uuuu

___American Kestrel* uuuu

___Merlin r o r

___Peregrine Falcon o o o

Gallinaceous Birds

(Quail, Turkey and Allies)

___Wild Turkey* uuuu

___Northern Bobwhite* cccc

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

___King Rail uuuu

___Clapper Rail* cccc

___Yellow Rail r

___Sora u u u

___Purple Gallinule uuur

___Common Moorhen* cccc

___American Coot u r u u

___Limpkin* uuuu

___Virginia Rail u u u

___Black Rail* u u r

Shorebirds

___Black-bellied Plover c u c c

___Snowy Plover r

___Semipalmated Plover c c c

___Piping Plover r r r

___Killdeer* c u c c

___Black-necked Stilt r r

___American Avocet u u

___Greater Yellowlegs c c c
SP S F W

___Lesser Yellowlegs u u u

___Solitary Sandpiper o o

___Willet cccc

___Spotted Sandpiper c o c c

___Whimbrel u u u

___Long-billed Curlew o

___Marbled Godwit u u u

___Ruddy Turnstone c u c c

___Red Knot u u u

___Sanderling c c c

___Semipalmated Sandpiper u u u

___Western Sandpiper c c c

___Least Sandpiper c u c c

___Pectoral Sandpiper r r

___Dunlin c o c c

___Stilt Sandpiper o

___Short-billed Dowitcher c u c c

___Long-billed Dowitcher u o u u

___Common Snipe c c c

___American Woodcock o o o

___American Oystercatcher u u c c

Gulls and Terns

___Laughing Gull cccc

___Bonaparte's Gull o o u

___Ring-billed Gull c u c c

___Great Black-backed Gull r

___Herring Gull c o c c

___Caspian Tern uuuu

___Black Skimmer cccc

___Common Tern o o o

___Forster's Tern c c c

___Least Tern cccu

___Royal Tern cccc

___Sandwich Tern uuuu

___Black Tern o o

Doves

___Mourning Dove* cccc

___Common Ground-Dove* cccc

___White-winged Dove o o

___Eurasian Collard Dove uuuu

Cuckoos

___Black-billed Cuckoo r r

___Yellow-billed Cuckoo* u u u
SP S F W

Owls

___Common Barn Owl oooo

___Eastern Screech-Owl* cccc

___Great Horned Owl* uuuu

___Barred Owl* cccc

___Burrowing Owl r r

___Short-eared Owl o

Nightjars

___Common Nighthawk* c c c

___Chuck-will’s-widow* cccr

___Whip-poor-will u r

Swifts, Hummingbirds

___Chimney Swift c c c

___Ruby-throated Hummingbird* u u u

Kingfishers

___Belted Kingfisher* c o c c

Woodpeckers

___Red-headed Woodpecker uuuu

___Red-bellied Woodpecker* cccc

___Yellow-bellied Sapsucker u u u

___Downy Woodpecker* cccc

___Hairy Woodpecker* uuuu

___Northern Flicker* c u c c

___Pileated Woodpecker* cccc

Flycatchers

___Eastern Wood-Pewee u u u

___Acadian Flycatcher* o u

___Eastern Phoebe u u c

___Great Crested Flycatcher* c c c

___Eastern Kingbird* c c c

___Western Kingbird o o o

___Gray Kingbird* u u u

Martins and Swallows

___Purple Martin u u u

___Tree Swallow c c c

___Northern Rough-winged

 Swallow* u u u

___Barn Swallow c c c

___Bank Swallow o o

Jays and Crows

___Blue Jay* cccc

___Fish Crow* cccc
SP S F W

___Scrub Jay uuuu

___American Crow* cccc

Chickadees and Titmice

___Carolina Chickadee* cccc

___Tufted Titmouse* cccc

Nuthatches

___Brown-headed Nuthatch* oooo

___Red-breasted Nuthatch o o o

Creepers

___Brown Creeper r r r

Wrens

___Carolina Wren* cccc

___House Wren c c c

___Winter Wren r r r

___Sedge Wren c c c

___Marsh Wren* cccc

Kinglets and Gnatcatchers

___Golden-crowned Kinglet r o o

___Ruby-crowned Kinglet c c c

___Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* cccc

Thrushes

___Eastern Bluebird* cccc

___Veery u u

___Gray-cheeked Thrush o o

___Swainson’s Thrush u u

___Wood Thrush u u

___Hermit Thrush u u u

___American Robin c c a

Thrashers

___Gray Catbird c r c c

___Northern Mockingbird* cccc

___Brown Thrasher* cccc

Pipits

___American Pipit u u u

Waxwings

___Cedar Waxwing c u c

Shrike

___Loggerhead Shrike* oooo
Vireos

___White-eyed Vireo cccc

___Yellow-throated Vireo u u u

___Red-eyed Vireo c c c

___Blue-headed Vireo u u u

Warblers

___Blue-winged Warbler o o

___Golden-winged Warbler r

___Tennessee Warbler u u

___Orange-crowned Warbler u u u

___Northern Parula* cccr

___Yellow Warbler o u u

___Chestnut-sided Warbler r o

___Magnolia Warbler u u

___Cape May Warbler u u

___Yellow-rumped Warbler c c a

___Black-throated Blue Warbler u u

___Black-throated Green Warbler o o

___Blackburnian Warbler o o

___Yellow-throated Warbler* cccc

___Pine Warbler* cccc

___Prairie Warbler* u o u o

___Palm Warbler c c c

___Bay-breasted Warbler o o

___Blackpoll Warbler u o

___Cerulean Warbler o o

___Black-and-white Warbler c r c u

___American Redstart u u

___Prothonotary Warbler* c u c

___Worm-eating Warbler u u

___Swainson's Warbler r r r

___Ovenbird c c u

___Northern Waterthrush u r u

___Louisiana Waterthrush u r u

___Kentucky Warbler u u

___Connecticut Warbler r r

___Common Yellowthroat* cccc

___Yellow-breasted Chat uuur

___Hooded Warbler* c c c

___Wilson's Warbler o o o

Tanagers

___Summer Tanager* u c u

___Scarlet Tanager o o

New World Finches

___Northern Cardinal* aaaa

___Rose-breasted Grosbeak u u

SP S F W
___Blue Grosbeak u u u

___Indigo Bunting u o u

___Painted Bunting o r o

Sparrows

___Rufous-sided Towhee* cccc

___Bachman's Sparrow* uuuu

___Chipping Sparrow u u u

___Field Sparrow u u u

___Vesper Sparrow u u u

___Savannah Sparrow c c c

___Grasshopper Sparrow r o

___Henslow's Sparrow o

___LeConte's Sparrow o

___Sharp-tailed Sparrow o o u

___Song Sparrow c c c

___Seaside Sparrow* cccc

___Swamp Sparrow c c c

___White-throated Sparrow c c c

___Dark-eyed Junco o o o

Blackbirds, Grackles, Cowbirds and Orioles

___Red-winged Blackbird* aaaa

___Bobolink r u

___Eastern Meadowlark* cccc

___Rusty Blackbird u

___Common Grackle* uuuu

___Boat-tailed Grackle* aaaa

___Brown-headed Cowbird* cccc

___Orchard Oriole u u u

___Northern Oriole o o u

Old World Finches

___Purple Finch o o

___American Goldfinch c u c

___Pine Siskin r

Introduced non-native species

___House Sparrow* cccc

___European Starling* cccc

SP S F W

For further information contact:

Refuge Manager

Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

16450 NW 31 Place

Chiefland, FL 32626

352/493 0238

http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee
Sighting Notes

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Date

Time

Weather

No. of species

Route or area

These additional species are of rare or accidental occurrence,

in most instances substantiated by only one or two records:

Red-throated Loon White-rumped Sandpiper

Red-necked Grebe Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Brown Booby Common Black-headed Gull

Northern Gannet Sooty Tern

Oldsquaw Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Black Scoter Surf Scoter

Bewick's Wren White-winged Scoter

Warbling Vireo Reddish Egret

Black-whiskered Vireo Glossy Ibis

Fox Sparrow Canada Goose

White-crowned Sparrow Sandhill Crane

Shiny Cowbird Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher

Philadelphia Viroe

Observers

Remarks
Lower Suwannee

National Wildlife Refuge

16450 NW 31 PL

Chiefland, FL 32626

352/493 0238

http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1 800/344 WILD

August 2005